Book Description

***USA Today Bestselling Author***

So what if Laurel Morgan hadn't had a date since the senior prom? If all it would take to convince her teenage sister to consider college was to go on a few dates and have some fun, it was a bet she could beat. And before she could change her mind, sexy forest ranger Michael Walker agreed to play the part of her ardent admirer!

Laurel never expected Michael's acting abilities to be quite so convincing. Whenever her sister was watching, Laurel found herself wrapped in a heady embrace with a passionate kiss on the way. Her captivating cohort promised a performance that would win her the wager, but when the curtain closed, would she lose the only man she would ever love?

Donna Fasano is a best-selling, award-winning author whose books have sold over 4 million copies worldwide. She is the recipient of a Cataromance Reviewer's Choice Award as well as a three-time winner of the coveted HOLT Medallion.

So what if Laurel Morgan hadn't had a date since the senior prom? If all it would take to convince her teenage sister to consider college was to go on a few dates and have some fun, it was a bet she could beat. And before she could change her mind, sexy forest ranger Michael Walker agreed to play the part of her ardent admirer!

Laurel never expected Michael's acting abilities to be quite so convincing. Whenever her sister was watching, Laurel found herself wrapped in a heady embrace with a passionate kiss on the way. Her captivating cohort promised a performance that would win her the wager, but when the curtain closed, would she lose the only man she would ever love?

Donna Fasano is a best-selling, award-winning author whose books have sold over 4 million copies worldwide. She is the recipient of a Cataromance Reviewer's Choice Award as well as a three-time winner of the coveted HOLT Medallion.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Mountain Laurel is the book that started my writing career. The manuscript won a finalist spot in the international writing contest sponsored by RWA called The Golden Heart. I hope you enjoy my book!

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling Author Donna Fasano is a three time winner of the HOLT Medallion, a CataRomance
Reviewers Choice Award winner for Best Single Title, a Desert Rose
Golden Quill Award finalist, and a Golden Heart finalist. Her books have
sold nearly 4 million copies worldwide and have been published in
nearly two dozen languages. Her books have made the Kindle Top 100 Paid
List numerous times, climbing as high as #5.

Visit her blog at DonnaFasano.com where you can sign up for e-mail updates and be the first to hear about new releases.

Find Donna on facebook at Facebook.com/DonnaFasanoAuthor. She loves to chat with readers.

What a wonderfully delightful book....The story will take you on several twists and turns as misunderstanding turns into understanding. You will find humor, compassion and grief in this book. It is a tale of that grief turning into happiness and love just when it is least expected. It happens after finding the love of a stranger. I truly enjoyed this book and recommend to everyone, young and old alike.

If Laurel Morgan has a fault it's that she's too responsible. Taking care of the family business and acting as an extra parent to her younger sister Ginny has left Laurel feeling trapped. She regrets not having the chance to attend college and hasn't had a date since her Senior Prom. Now her rebellious sister appears headed down the wrong path. Laurel hopes a mountain vacation will be the chance to reconnect with her sister and change the direction Ginny's life is taking.

The story takes place almost entirely in a remote mountain area with one small town nearby. Clayton does an excellent job in depicting the differences between small town and city life as well as the culture shock a city dweller might experience visiting such a place.The main characters, Laurel, Ginny, and Michael are all likeable with very different and distinct personalities. Laurel's seriousness is continually getting her in trouble as she misinterprets the intentions of others and provides plenty of laughs while doing so. Ginny's happy-go-lucky attitude provides an excellent counterpoint to Laurel. Michael, the local forest ranger, knows he's attracted to Laurel, but feels like everything he does to demonstrate this backfires. You'll vicariously experience a wide range of emotions from the sorrow of dealing with family tragedies to the joy of new love as these three attempt to work through their differences.

This book was first released on Silhouette Romance (a Harlequin imprint) twenty years ago. The author updated it slightly so it would feel contemporary and modified the language to insure it was appropriate for younger readers (15 and up) for this eBook only re-release.

A delightful book, beautifully described and seemingly effortlessly written. The writer brings us into the world of Laurel and her sister gently, artfully and doesn't let us go till we are in love with her characters, especially the special, mature, sensitive Laurel who seems intent on fighting the happiness she so richly deserves. Will she finally open her heart to life or will she continue to deny herself joy? You'll have to read her book to find out, and when you do, you'll find yourself rooting for Laurel.

Okay, I confess up front I am a sucker for romance! Books, movies, music, heck, even commercials. I especially enjoy the lighter, happier, comedic types. Mountain Laurel is laugh out loud funny, one of the best by an author who excels at hitting the funny bone. Laurel kidnaps younger sister Ginny for a vacation in a small town, hoping to reestablish a close relationship, as well as remove her from the influence of a questionable groups of kids. Being a typical know-it-all teenager, Ginny doesn't simply go with the flow. Instead, she makes a bet with her sister. Laurel has to prove she knows how to have fun, and Ginny will "think" about going to college. Local forest ranger, Michael, offers to help Ginny win her bet, albeit with the ulterior motive of capturing her interest in him as a man. Sadly, Laurel, who is so strong an confident in other aspects of her life, proves to be completely incompetent when it comes to love. Every time Laurel encounters Michael she manages to make a fool of herself, from mistaking him for a mass murderer to getting stuck in a window, from believing him to be stalking her to mistaking him for the groom in an upcoming wedding. The major characters, Laurel, Michael, and especially Ginny, are all really interesting, unexpected, and realistic. In fact, Michael was very similar to my own Prince Charming of a husband! One of the reasons I enjoy the lighter romances is they are so much closer to true life, with their realistic depiction of the daily frustrations, aggravations, and irritations of life. Mountain Laurel was especially charming in its depiction of small town life. Sometimes I enjoy the darker, more complicated stories involving spies and evil doers and genuine threats and perils. Sometimes I enjoy frivolity, laughter, and silliness. Sometimes you feel like a nut! Sometimes you don't!

I came accross this book looking for a cheap read and this book did the job. It provided me with the entertainment I was looking for at a very low price. Story is about Laurel and Michael. Laurel has been the responsible one all her life, especially since the death of her brother and her mother losing it. Laurel has tried to be a mother figure to her younger sister Ginny, but Ginny seems to be straying by being rebellious and hanging out with the wrong crowd. They both go away on a "vacation", in an effort for them to bond and make Ginny stay back on track. They rented a cabin in the mountain for a few weeks and their drive to it marks the beginning of an amusing vacation. This vacation is full of misunderstandings, especially those surrounding Michael. During their first meeting, Laurel thinks Michael is a loose serial killer. All their little subsequent encounters are quite funny and entertaining. Laurel and Ginny make a bet: Laurel should relax and have fun with guys and Ginny would think about going to college. Laurel accepted and the quest for "adventure" begins. Michael volunteers for the fun, he liked her. Soon they are inseparable. Was it all for show? Was there more to them? Would Ginny believe it?

Story was cute, fairly predictable ending, but yet entertaining and did what I wanted to: read something light and fun.

More About the Author

USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR DONNA FASANO is a three-time winner of the HOLT Medallion, a CataRomance Reviewers Choice Award winner for Best Single Title, a Desert Rose Golden Quill Award finalist, a Golden Heart finalist, and a two-time winner of Best Romance of the Year given by BigAl's Books & Pals Review Blog. Her books have sold nearly 4 million copies worldwide and have been published in two dozen languages. Her books have made the Kindle Top 100 Paid List numerous times, climbing as high as #5.

**Visit her blog at www.DonnaFasano.com.

**Sign up for her monthly newsletter at http://mad.ly/signups/110899/join.

**Follow Donna on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DonnaFasanoAuthor. She loves to chat with readers.

**Follow her on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/DonnaFaz

What others are saying about Donna's books:

"...complex, funny, and realistic..." ~Wilmington News Journal

"Excellent!" ~Bookreview.com

"Could not help myself from reading excerpts to my husband and friends. This book is well written, the characters are real, everyday folks. It is very easy to identify with them. Donna Fasano is a talented author." ~Elizabeth M. Caldwell on Amazon

"...a fast paced riotous look at family life today. Donna Fasano is right on target!" ~Donna Zapf, SingleTitles.com